First workout in bench shirt

[workoutfreakk]

while i'm a bodybuilder first and foremost, i decided to do a couple of powerlifting comps this year, with the first one coming up fairly soon. my buddy is an accomplished powerlifter with several american records, and got me a bench shirt to use. i used it for the first time yesterday, and i have to say "wow". i def have a newfound respect for powerlifters, as that thing hurt like hell. i have a ton of cuts on my underarms from that thing...but you know what, i loved it. guess that's part of what being an animal's all about.

any powerlifters got anything to add?

[karthik]

if you train in a shirt make sure you only train in a shirt, learning the groove of a bench shirt is totally different that benching without equipment. You will find that you have to grip the bar much harder and probably lower the bar to upper abs to even get it to touch. It takes time and effort to master a bench shirt, also another thing i wanted to add and this is for everyone else too, Equipment wear does not automatically add any pounds to your lift!!!! If that was the case then the powerlifters who squat 1110 pounds and bench 1000 pounds wouldn't be as big as they are and have chests and legs the size of mack trucks. Case in point, i can RAW squat over 500 pounds (belt and knee wraps), but the first time ever I wore powerlifting briefs I only got 365 with a belt, I was totally shocked. The groove for equipment wear is different than the groove without equipment!

[Big Jawn]

I would never suggest if you bench in a shirt to only bench in a shirt, many powerlifters only bring gear into the mix a couple weeks out from competition, its good to work in gear but it does not create the need to eliminate raw work.

[Powerlifter]

I'd definitely say the majority of power guys mix it up training raw and equipped. I just got into the powerlifting game a few months ago too and its true finding the right groove is important. Practicing and asking the veterans is what I've been doin.
GO HEAVY!

[Dunk]

I would suggest incorporating your shirt or suit a few months out and as the meet nears steadily increase the use of it

[Hollywood]

I agree, don't train ONLY with your shirt on, you need to train raw mostly. Put on the shirt sparingly when you're months away, then more often as you get closer to your meet. Train using boards to help with your tricep lockout strength. And make sure youre staying real tight, shirts dont leave much room for error.

[Big Jawn]

I would suggest incorporating your shirt or suit a few months out and as the meet nears steadily increase the use of it

Also try doing some decent volume raw on your heavy bench day, then throw on your shirt and do some heavy board work in the form of triples, doubles and singles. Gradually drop out a board until your going to chest.

[mikedfromaz]

it may be a simple question but what are you talking about when you refer to boards on the bench, i have heard of it i guess i just dont know what it is or does

[workoutfreakk]

i am definitely not overlooking the importance of training raw, especially since i am new to the powerlifting game. i'm about eight weeks out from my comp, and need to find my groove with my bench shirt and squat suit (which i will also deadlift in). also, i do not expect this equipment to work miracles, as i can deadlift 475 raw, and i hope to dead 500 in the comp after doing a peak cycle and using a suit. likewise i can bench 330 raw, and hope to get 350 in the competition. do you think these are reasonable goals?

[Big Wides]

def would only throw the shirt in only a couple of weeks outside of the competition since most of the power that you will bring into the place will be with what you have accomplished with the raw training, the shirt helps with the pause at the competition but not when ur banging out the reps

[Folly]

it may be a simple question but what are you talking about when you refer to boards on the bench, i have heard of it i guess i just dont know what it is or does

Using boards are where you have someone hold stacked 2x4s on your chest, then you bench off of them. The point is to reduce the range of motion, allowing you to handle heavier weights than usual. You can also use them to really fry your triceps, helping you prepare for shirt work.

There is a video of me blowing a raw 405 3board in my youtube link. You can search youtube for several board benches, with Dave Tate's 700 1board being the most fun.

[Kathy Fields]

I'm a competitive powerlifter and continue to learn the equipment every workout as do ALL equipped powerlifters at every level. Bringing the shirt in only couple weeks out is not enough time to learn the groove and increase strength for equipped benching. Shirted benching yes is a different animal, but when done properly, you also increase raw strength when using it.

A proper fitting shirt increases pressure and compression on the body during the lift. You are putting your body through intense work as you do raw, but add to that you are also adding constriction to important muscles that are incorporated to accomplish the lift as well as challenging your body to withstand increased pressure while still trying to hold your air. Therefore, it is important you train in the shirt just about every heavy bench session you do (recommended once a week) so that you can build up a tolerance to increased time under tension and compression, as well as endurance to perform the lift under such condition. Also train your raw bench by warming up to a near max triple and then heavy raw board presses (3-4 board) after the shirted benching. As you increase experience, you can incorporate a dynamic bench day which is all raw work at least 48 hours after a heavy bench workout and about 4 days before. We usually do speed benching on dynamic day consisting of 8-9 sets of fast triples with 35-50% of shirted max rep (depending on skill level) followed by a few accessory exercises to blast the triceps, lats and shoulders.

Every four to five weeks we do a deload session in the shirt (sometimes using chains) by just doing high volume/moderate weight. This allows us to stay "in touch" with the shirt and give the CNS a break as many powerlifters know that one cannot max bench every week and expect pr's every time. The body peaks in cycles, so it's tricky to find or influence when that peak will be.

Also, we do not recommend using boards while benching in the shirt with two exceptions: to break in a new shirt or to protect shoulders that have incurred wear and tear or injury. Eventually you will have to learn the groove of the shirt and boards inhibit this as some do not bench to boards as they do to their sternum. Full range is what counts in a meet, not boarded benching.

If you're going to do an equipped meet, focus on using your equipment and don't put too much emphasis on trying to max out raw all the time. If you're doing the meet raw, then train raw.

[Pokoritel]

I dont know much about powerlifting but from the articles i read most of them said that if you train in a bench shirt then you should always train in a bench shirt.

[workoutfreakk]

i was thinking of using the shirt on heavy bench day (monday), then training bench without it for a speed workout on fridays. for deadlifts, i was thinking about training with my suit every other week.

[Kathy Fields]

If it works for you and you don't feel too fried by Monday, go for it. I'd still try to put in another day in between if possible. Shirt work can tire you out very quickly. It's like almost making yourself pass out with each set. After the workout, you'll find yourself yawning and wanting a nap really bad. The only reason why I recommend putting in another day between your shirted bench and speed day is you want to be fresh and full rested so you can go balls to the wall with the heavy bench.

[GFH1911]

I wouldn't train in the shirt all the time unless you're close to a meet. And even then most guys I've talked to will do something like 2 weeks in, 1 week out or 3 weeks in, 1 week out, etc when preparing for a contest. A great bencher I know once said "Raw builds strength, the shirt shows strength."

You still need to pound heavy lockouts and board presses without the shirt and go full range in the shirt so that you can touch with it. Most people will recommend doing heavy triples or doubles in the shirt.

I'm not the most experienced bencher out there so hopefully some stronger guys can chime in here.

[Kathy Fields]

Gene Rychlak trains with us every Sunday. He trains in his shirt every week leading up to the meet. Rob Luyando, Bill Carpenter, Joe Mazza, Scott Yard, and just about every elite bencher I know (all good friends of course) train in their shirts every week leading up to a meet. Are these "stronger guys" enough for ya?

Plus, he said he's got a meet coming up fairly soon. ;)

[GFH1911]

Gene Rychlak trains with us every Sunday. He trains in his shirt every week leading up to the meet. Rob Luyando, Bill Carpenter, Joe Mazza, Scott Yard, and just about every elite bencher I know (all good friends of course) train in their shirts every week leading up to a meet. Are these "stronger guys" enough for ya?

Plus, he said he's got a meet coming up fairly soon. ;)

Nah, those guys don't know what they're talking about! :p

I think I'm getting meet prep stuff confused with off season work. I'm a bench shirt noob so I'm learning but it takes some time.

[Kathy Fields]

Nah, those guys don't know what they're talking about! :p

I think I'm getting meet prep stuff confused with off season work. I'm a bench shirt noob so I'm learning but it takes some time.


You know what's so funny? Just when we think we know so much about bench shirts, we get slapped in the face when we dump the bar, bomb a meet, or blow out a shirt. It does take time, but you'll find you're always learning and will continue to do so.

I think there's only a rare few of us who train year round in the equipment. It does help to ease off when not training for a meet or like some of us gear whores....try a new shirt. LOL!!!! But you're right, the body needs recovery.

[GFH1911]

Yeah, in fact I'm 8 weeks out from a meet right now and just got a new shirt so I'll probably be in it every week until then. If I had say twice as much time to work with I'd probably take a more relaxed approach.

First time in 2ply gear so its going to be a blast. Like you mentioned in an earlier post I'll probably be working down with boards until I find a weight that can touch. Thats the approach I used with my old shirt and it seemed to work pretty good.

[Kathy Fields]

First time in double ply? Woohoo! You're going to notice a world of difference! Good luck with it and train hard!

[heavyliftin]

I would never suggest if you bench in a shirt to only bench in a shirt, many powerlifters only bring gear into the mix a couple weeks out from competition, its good to work in gear but it does not create the need to eliminate raw work.

Listen to this guy, never neglect your raw work, where your strength comes from. Yeah man those beasts cut you up bad I actually have a couple of light pink scars from them.

[AU_Lifter]

I love gear lifting but nothing beats the nitty gritty work of raw lifting. If I don't have to be in a suit it is ok with me! The pain of suits and wraps is welcomed by me and becomes more ignored when it comes closer to competition time. I personally would rather lift and get strong raw and only use suits in prep for and in meets.